ISRAEL - August 29 - Olmert accused over 'fig-leaf' war inquiry.

Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime minister, on Tuesday received a mixed reception for his decision to limit the scope of an inquiry into the conduct of the Lebanon war, with some political opponents labelling it a "whitewash". Mr Olmert said on Monday night that he had rejected the option of a full judicial state investigation and opted instead to ask separate panels to look into the political, military and civil defence aspects of the 34-day conflict. The decision was attacked from both the left and right of the political spectrum, where criticisms ranged from attacking the government for overreacting to provocation by Lebanon's Hizbollah to questioning its failure to use more military force. Members of his own centrist Kadima party, however, endorsed Mr Olmert's view that a high-profile legal investigation would have paralysed the political and military leaderships for a prolonged period. "This is a courageous and correct decision," said Yoel Hasson, a Kadima parliamentarian. Mr Olmert's decision nevertheless carried the risk that it could be opposed in parliament or within the coalition cabinet, forcing him to back down and agree to the kind of post-war probe that sanctioned Ariel Sharon, his predecessor, after the Lebanon war of 1982. Eliad Shraga, chairman of the non-partisan Movement for Quality Government, wrote in a commentary yesterday: "The public is not stupid and it will totally reject this conspiratorial attempt to create a smokescreen and not investigate the truth. This committee is only a fig leaf, and we will continue until the end with our battle to set up a state commission of inquiry." The outcome of the war, coupled with accusations by reservists that they were sent into battle unprepared, have led to protests against the government, backed among others by Mr Shraga's lobby group, and demands that the prime minister and key ministers resign. However, Mr Olmert apparently believed his position had been strengthened by remarks on Sunday from Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah leader, that he would not have sanctioned the capture of Israeli soldiers on July 12 if he had foreseen the Israeli response. Referring to Mr Nasrallah's statement, Mr Olmert told mayors of northern Israeli municipalities on Monday: "In Beirut and other capitals in the Middle East, they understood that we are not going to tolerate attacks on our sovereignty, our citizens and our soldiers." The prime minister's prospects of riding out the post-war storm have also been enhanced by divisions on the left. The power-sharing Labour party is deeply divided amid intense public criticism of the wartime conduct of Amir Peretz, its leader and defence minister. The domestic political turmoil overshadowed the arrival here on Tuesday from Beirut of Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, who will urge Israel to lift its continued blockade of Lebanon which he has described as a humiliation for the Lebanese. Earlier he visited the base of the currently 2,000-strong U.N. force in Naqoura southern Lebanon.